Parlez-vous Francais?
Trip Start
Mar 04, 2008
1
27
36
Trip End
Oct 06, 2008
Paris,
Île-de-France,
France
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Bonjour from Paris!
What a spectacular city. There is magic in the air here. Larger than life statues, cathedrals and roundabouts (les rond-points)! I spent the day cruising around the city, by bike of course. Along the canals, the 'banks' of the Seine, past the Notre Dame and to the Eiffel Tower where I took in a spot of lunch - a fresh baguette from the boulangerie and some smoked bacon. The bacon they have here is incredible. They call it smoked bacon but really it is lightly smoked ham flesh. It's like eating pork sashimi.
There was a thick mist in the air, which turned to light rain as soon as I left the boulangerie. Light rain soon turned to rain, then the black clouds moved in. I happened to be as far from my hostel as possible on my 50km circumnavigation of the city. Great. Lightning flashed, the thunder cracked so loudly I was looking around for smoking trees! I started bombing it for home but there was no point. I was soaked through.
Rain soon turned to sun, however, and I dried out while I continued my ride
La Belgique
. Unfortunate to only spend one day in Paris, but this trip isn't about taking in museums and art galleries. Perhaps when I'm old, like 30, I'll come back and actually see the INSIDE of the Louvre. Besides, with the lineups to go into these places you'd have to come here for a week. One day per major attraction...half of that spent in the lineup.It seems as though Parisians are constantly and silently mocking us tourists. They have this amazing city, just stunning, and as they drive around in their cars while the hordes of tourists walk and gawk they seem to be thinking "Yeah, I know. It's amazing. No big deal, we've got an espresso date to get to."
